THE RISE OF PERSIA

EXPANDING PERSIAN EMPIRE Greeks spent great deal

of time fighting one and other

Near the beginning of the 500s B.C.E. Persia was growing in power

City-states united for defense in Peloponnesian League

By 520 B.C.E. Persian Empire encircled Greek city-states & included former Greek colonies

Do you remember who was the leader of the

Persian Empire?

Cyrus the Great

THE PERSIAN “ALLIANCE”

Athenians sent ambassador to Persian King Cyrus the Great to create an alliance Ambassador made

alliance Athenian assembly

rejected the deal Persia still thought they

had a deal Why would the Athenian

process confuse the Persians?

IONIAN REVOLT

499-493 BCE: Greek cities throughout Asia Minor rise up against Persian rule.

498 BCE: After pleading for an alliance with the Persians, the Athenians back the Ionian Revolt Help Ionians to sack Persian

city of Sardis Result: Persians are

ANGRY!!!

Me so angry

THE ANIMOSITY BEGINS

Persians went on to conquer Ionian Greek city-states

499 B.C.E. Ionians Revolt Athenians fear that they

are next so they help their fellow Greeks

493 B.C.E. Ionian revolt is put down

Darius (Persian leader) still viewed Athens’ actions as a betrayal

The Three Battles of the Persian Wars

The Battle of Marathon Darius sought revenge by sending

20,000 troops who gathered on plains of Marathon (approx. 25 miles north of Athens)

Athenians had a shabby army of less than 9,000 hoplites; no cavalry

But they marched out to meet the Persians in Marathon rather than letting their city be destroyed

According to legend: Pheidippides, an Athenian herald, was

sent to Sparta to request help He ran the 150 miles in two days but

did not succeed in getting Sparta’s help

While Pheidippides was seeking help… Athenians charged unexpectedly

At dead run to avoid Persian archers Greek line was spread thin and broke in middle Instead of retreating, folded up Persians Greeks showed surprising skill in hand-to-hand combat

Won the battle despite more than 2 to 1 odd against them Pheidippides returned and was sent announce their

victory in Athens He ran the approximately 26 miles from Marathon to

Athens Announced “Nike!” (“Victory!”) and dropped dead

The Battle of Marathon

Finish like somebody

else!

THE 19TH CENTURY POET ROBERT BROWNING WROTE THIS POEM ABOUT PHEIDIPPIDES:

So, when Persia was dust, all cried, “To Acropolis!

Run, Pheidippides, one race more! the meed is they due!

Athens is saved, thank Pan, go shout!’ He flung down his shield

Ran like fire once more; and the space ‘twixt the fennel-fieldAnd Athens was stubble again, a field which a fire runs through,

Till in he broke: ‘Rejoice, we conquer!’ Like wine through clay,

Joy in his blood bursting his heart,--the bliss!”

IT’S NOT OVER…

At the same time, Persians sent some infantry and cavalry by ship to Athens.

Immediately after the victory at Marathon, Athenians raced back to Athens .

Just in Time to Save the Day! Made it back to Athens about one hour before the Persians arrived.

Persians realized they were outnumbered.

Persians lost about 6,000 men while Athenians only 192 men

JACKPOT!!! The silver found in the mines at Laureion in Attica

Middle class benefitted

Athenians spend their money on a fleet

Themistocles(elected official) main contributor of needing a navy

Constructed a fleet of nearly 200 ships new style, "triremes" with 200 men rowing 150 oars

arranged in three tiers

What contributed to Athens becoming wealthy?

No, not poltergeists.

HAVING ANOTHER GO…

Darius was enraged! Started organizing another

invasion but died first

Xerxes (Darius’s son) took command

Organized between 150,000-300,000 warriors and 600 ships

Greeks combined forces to prepare: Sparta providing vicious

army Athens provided navy to

cut-off supplies of Persians

BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

Greeks chose spot where to meet the Persians

Small pass in Southern Greece near the mountains and the sea

Famous natural hot spring – Thermopylae “ hot gates”

Good choice for the Greece Persians would either have to go through narrow

pass or mammoth diversion

Give the Greeks time to organize troops further south

Athenians sent ships Artemision to try to stop Persian fleet from joining their army

BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

King Leonidas ( Spartan King) led about 7.000 Greek troops into the battle

Only 300 of the troops were Spartan Spartans at the forefront of the fight Persians attacks were rebuffed until…

Xerxes paid a goat herder for information of another route

Sent 10,000 troops through this narrower pass Behind Greeks

King Leonidas dismissed almost all of the Greek troops, leaving the 300 Spartans and a few others

Hence the movie,

300

BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

King Leonidas and the 300 Spartans held the Persians for several days

Persians inundated the Spartans Advanced further south

MEANWHILE AT ARTEMISION

Persians lost many ships at Artemision

weather was bad Greeks captured many ships

But the Persians are not done

BATTLE OF SALAMIS Athenians abandoned their city by orders of Themistocles.

Persians march south from their victory at Thermopylae and destroyed the city of Athens.

Athenians watched from the nearby island of Salamis as their city burned.

BATTLE OF SALAMIS

Athenians positioned themselves and their fleets near the island and did several things to defeat the Persians:

Sent false message to Xerxes Had ships in the narrow channel between Salamis and

the mainland Other ships hid in the small bay to the south of the

narrow channel Persians thought the Greeks in the narrow channel

were fleeing and followed them into the narrow passo Athenians turned back to face Persianso Rammed the Persians ships

Small fleet hidden in the south caught the Persians as they were fleeing.

BATTLE OF SALAMIS

BATTLE OF SALAMIS

RESULT: PERSIAN WARS

The Greek sense of uniqueness was increased

Athens emerged as most powerful city-state in Greece

Athens organized the Delian League, an alliance with other Greek city-states

AFTER THE PERSIAN WAR

Ironically, Athens did not support democracy in other city-states

Forces other city-states to pay tribute for protection

Moved the Delian League treasury from Delos to Athens and begin to abuse the access to the Leagues’ money

Many Greeks resented Athenian domination

Greek world split into rival camps. Result: Sparta forges an alliance with the

other city states and forms the Peloponnesian League

Declares war on Athens, which eventually leads to the down fall of Athens

A 27 year war broke out

in 431 B.C. engulfing all

of Greece

PELOPONNESIAN WAR

PELOPONNESIAN WAR

Athens at a disadvantage: Geography Navy = no good against Spartans

located inland After Spartan invasion, Pericles allows

people from countryside to move inside city

Result: Overcrowding leads to a plague ; killed 1/3 of the people

Including Pericles Internal struggles undermined

Democratic government

PELOPONNESIAN WAR

Sparta allied with Persia, their old enemy, against the Delian League.

404 B.C., with the help of the Persian navy, the Spartans captured Athens and stripped it of its fleet and empire

AFTERMATH OF WAR

The Peloponnesian war ended Athenian greatness

In Athens Democratic government suffered: corruption and selfish interests replaced order

Fighting continued to disrupt the Greek world

Sparta itself suffered defeat at the hands of Thebes, another Greek city-state

Greece was left vulnerable to invasion (hello Alexander the Great…we’ll meet you soon!)

Cultural development was halted